Deep Dive Parenting

Understanding the roots of challenging behaviors to create lasting solutions

Foundational Posts

(a good place to start)

A Kid’s Mindset

The 7 Key Ways a Child’s Mind Works

To understand kids—and respond to their behavior—we have to understand how a child’s mind works. This post reveals the mysteries.

CONTINUE READING

Narratives

Childhood Narratives: How They Impact Kids for a Lifetime

Narratives are one of the most important things parents need to know about a child’s psychology. This post will tell you what they are and how they work.

CONTINUE READING

Narratives

The Most Common Harmful Narratives in Children

A list of common harmful narratives children develop, why they develop these narratives, and how you can keep the narratives from forming.

CONTINUE READING

Narratives, Specific Situations

How to Manage Emotional Triggers in 5 Steps

Emotional triggers can revive painful childhood experiences so that we unknowingly over-react and make poor choices in the present. Here’s how to manage those triggers.

CONTINUE READING

Narratives

(mis)Perceptions: The Reason Young Kids Have So Much Trouble

Because young children misunderstand and misperceive things, they can create harmful narratives that can last a lifetime. Here’s how to prevent this.

CONTINUE READING

Tools for Talking

Naming Emotions: a Key Part of Successful Parenting

Naming emotions for a child not only builds emotional intelligence and self-esteem, it improves the child’s behavior. Here’s how it’s done.

CONTINUE READING

The Basics

What parents need to know about how kids work.

BASICS

Narratives

One of the most important things to know: how kids form lifelong beliefs about themselves and others.

VIEW ALL

BASICS

A Kid’s

Mindset

Start here to understand the not-so-obvious and not-so-rational ways kids think and feel.

VIEW ALL

BASICS

Tools for
Understanding

A whole set of tools to use to figure out kids and their behavior.

VIEW ALL

BASICS

Tools for
Talking

How to talk (and use play) to help kids deal with their emotions and challenging issues.

VIEW ALL

The Specifics

How to handle specific issues.

SPECIFICS

Tough
Behaviors

Focusing on difficult behaviors, from aggression and anxiety, to toileting and bedtime.

VIEW ALL

SPECIFICS

What Parents
Can Do

Exploring what parents can do, whether it’s how to play, repair a rupture, or discipline.

VIEW ALL

SPECIFICS

Specific
Situations

A whole range, from new baby siblings and parental breakups, to medical trauma and adoption.

VIEW ALL

SPECIFICS

For Dads

Because so few websites focus on a father’s experience and what it means to be a dad.

VIEW ALL

Deeper Dives

Fully exploring a few major topics.

DEEPER
DIVES

Siblings

DEEPER
DIVES

Autism

DEEPER
DIVES

Adoption

DEEPER
DIVES

Medical

Trauma

Early medical procedures can turn into lifelong traumas. Here’s how to help kids form healthy narratives and prevent debilitating traumas.

DEEPER
DIVES

Teens /

Young Adults

Bigger kids, bigger problems! Teens come with their own, difficult challenges. Here’s how to understand and help them.

Newest Posts

Teens

The Effects of Trauma on a Teen’s Development

The effects of trauma can prevent teens from developing into competent adults. Here’s why it happens and what parents can do.

Tools for Talking, What Parents Can Do

When the Monsters Are Real: How To Talk To Little Kids About Real-Life Scary Stuff

Talking to kids about real world problems is tough. Here’s five steps to follow to help them cope with scary, real world issues.

Narratives

How We Bring About the Thing We Most Want to Avoid

Despite our best intentions and efforts, why do we create the very thing we are most trying to prevent? Here’s why it happens and

Teens

The Best Parenting Strategy With Teens: Collaboration

Collaborating with teens is the best parenting strategy simply because it works! And it helps your teen become an adult.

Teens

Why Teens Don’t Clean Up Their Mess: A Reason No One Expects

It’s developmentally normal for teens to be messy. Here’s a reason why they don’t clean up after themselves which parents wouldn’t expect.

Teens

The 4 Things Teens Really Want—and Need

To help teens—and their parents—survive adolescence. Here’s what’s going on in teens, and 4 specifics ways parents can help.

Teens

The Key Way a Teen’s Brain Works

The teen brain works not in mysterious ways, but in predictable, logical ways. Here’s what’s behind their challenging behaviors.

What Parents Can Do

10 Things to Do That Will Make You a Better Parent

Here’s a list of things parents can (and should!) do to connect with and create healthy, emotionally intelligent kids.

At Deep Dive Parenting, you’ll get insight into your child you won’t find anywhere else.

That’s because we look at the not-so-obvious and not-so-rational ways young children think and feel.

When we understand all that’s going on inside our kids, we can help them through any challenge.

Portrait photograph by David Shopper

“I know what parents go through not just because I’m a parent, but because I’m a psychotherapist specializing in helping young children, and I get how kids work.”

Evan Shopper, LICSW

Portrait photograph

by David Shopper